Adjustable sorting machine



I April 3, 1928.

R. V. JUDSON ADJUSTABLE SORTING MACHINE Filed Sent. 27. 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 2 l/Il/lI!!!lllrllldllllllllllllrflw/lrrrlllllllllllillllfll llllrlllllllrrlllrlldz gwomto a Patented Apr. 3,1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT orr ce.

RUSSELL V.-JUDSON, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

. ADJUSZLXAIBIIE SORTING MACHINE.

Applicationfiled September 27, 1926. SeriaLNO. 138,081.

This is a machine of the centrifugal type, operating on substantiallythe same principle as the machine shown in my Patent No. 1,366,665,granted Jan. 25, 1921, and the present machine includes, as some of itsprincipal elements, several pairs of rolls of yielding material,arranged in radiating relation to a vertical axis of rotation, so thatbeans, seeds or other matter to be sorted, if'fed on to the rolls nearsaid aXis,are carriedoutwardly over the rolls by centrifugal force,while, culls, rough and imperfect specimens, pebbles and particles ofdirt mixed in with them are frictionally engaged by the yielding rollsand drawn between them for discharge separately from the smooth perfectbeans or grain which successfully traverses the roll to their outerends.

My grain sorting machines are designed for sorting various kindsofgrains that vary in size, consequently some provision must be made foradjusting the rolls of each pair relative to each other. Inmy presentstructure'Iprovide simple, inexpensive, accessible and durablemeans forbodily shifting one group of rolls relative to an adjacent group, incontradistinction to individual roll adjustment,and in consequence ofsuch roll adjusting means I can quickly change my machine for a desiredsorting of grains, seeds and other matter that varies in size.

My invention will be hereinafter more fully described" and then claimed,and reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is aplan of a. portion of a sorting machine including my improvement;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View of the greater part of the machine,taken on the line IIIIII of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4: is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line IV-IVof Fig. 1, showing one of the adjusting devices.

In order that my present invention may be readily'understood, I havedeemed it advisable to illustrate the greater part of a sorting machine,but have left off certain parts that are unnecessary for anunderstanding of my improvement. The machine shown in the drawingscomprises a base 1 having a central socket or pedestal 2 for a tubularcolumn 3 and mounted on the upper end of said column is a circular graindistributing plate or head 4 on which is deposited, from a feed hopper5, the grain or material to be sorted. Ordinarily there is sufficientvibration of the machine to cause the grainof the spiral or 'ribon theplate tto'feed off at the peripheral edges of the dlStI1bl1tlI1g, plate.In some instances there may be special provision to insure a periph eraldistribution of grain from the plate 4.

Mounted on the column 3 is a bracket 6 havlng a bearing 7 for the inneren'd of a driven shaft 8, saidshaft having its outer end ournaled in anupstanding bearing 9 carried by the base 1. The shaft 8 may be driven byhand or any suitable power means.

Supported by the bracket 6 and rotatable about the column'3is the hubportion 10' of a downwardly facing horizontalraok ll constantly meshingwith-a beveled pinion 12 suitably fixed on the shaft 8 so that the rack11 'may be revolved about the vertical axis of the column 3. The rack 11corresponds to a "horizontally disposed beveled gear'wheel' forming partof a rotary circular carrierhaving an inner annular wall 13 and an outerannular wall 14 with said walls connected by radially disposed webs'orribs 15. These webs or ribs areincline'd upwardly at a slight angle tothe horizontal so that the outer annular wall 14: will be supported inaplane: above theplane ofthe inner'an nular wall13, and the upper edgesof said walls are provided with sets of bearings 16. for thespindlesl?of rolls 18. The inner spindles 17' of said rolls are provided with gearwheels 19 and 20, the gear wheels 19 be ing at the outer sides ofthe'bearings 16 of the wall 13'and the gear wheels 20 at the inner sidesof said bearing wheels 20 meshing with a stationaryupwardly facing rackor horizontal gear wheel 21 fixed on the column 3 above the hub por-,tion 10 of the. rotatable rack 11.

The rolls 18 by reason of the bearings 16 are disposed at an angle tothe horizontal and are also radially disposed relative to the axis ofthe machine and equally spaced. The rolls may include rubber or otheryieldable material in their construction and con stitute a group ofradially disposed circumferentially revolved rolls that are driven abouttheir axes by virtue of the stationary rack 21 and the gear wheels 20when the group of rolls is bodily revolved by virtue of the rack 11 andthe pinions 12.

The outer wall 14 of the roll carrier is provided with a plurality ofsockets 22 and mounted in said sockets are posts 23 that the said gearinner annular wall 28, a' horizontally apertured wall 29, and anupstanding an-v nular wall 30, said wall being connected to the wall orframe 27 by a plurality of radially disposed ribs or webs3l. Thea-nnularwall 30 is at the outer edge of the Wall 29 and surrounds thedistributing plate 4:0 in spaced relation thereto, so that the matter tobe sorted may pass downwardly from the head ion to the wall 29 andthrough the apertures 32 thereof;

The frame or wall 27 and the inner annular wall 28 are provided withbearings 33 for the spindles 34: of rolls 35, similar to the rolls 18,and on the inner ends of the spindles 34, between the wall 28 and theinner ends of the rolls 35, are gear wheels 36 adapted to mesh with thegear wheels 19 of the lower roll carrier. It is through the mediumofthese meshing gear wheels that the rolls of the upper carrier may bedriven in synchronlsm with the rolls 19. of

the lower carrier, the upper rolls revolving in aQreverse direction tothe lower rolls in order that matter to be sorted may feed between saidrolls. By reference to Fig. 3 it will be noted that the horizontal wall29 of the upper roll carrier is in proximity to the distributing plate4:, and forms an annular guard overthe gear wheels of the' pairs ofrolls, preventing foreign matter from interfering with the operation ofthe meshing gear wheels orthe'rack 21 and the gear wheels or pinions 20.7

Below the lower roll carrier is an inner hopper 37 supported from thecolumn 3 and provided with a discharge pipe 38, said hopperreceivingsorted matter from between a the rolls of each pair. About thehopper 37 andsuitably supported from the base 1 and the column 3 is anouter hopper 39 having a discharge pipe 40. This outer hopper is adaptedto receive sorted matter that is carried outwardly by centrifugal actionalong the peripheries of the rolls, the sorted matter being dischargedat the outer ends of the rolls to fall into the outer hopper 39.

In view of my former patents, it is believed that the operation andutility of the machine is apparent, but I desire to direct particularattention to the adjustment of the upper roll carrier relative-to thelower rollcarrier for thereason that the upper rolls may be" easily andquickly shifted relative to the lower rolls to provide a desired passbetween the rolls of each pair. It is in consequence of this adjustmentthat the passes may beregulated according to the matter to be sorted.Inso much as the rolls may have different kinds of yieldable covers orsurfaces and said rolls driven at a desired speed,'it is obvious thatthe width of the passes between said rolls or the draw 01 matter beingsorted in my machine.

A preferred form of adjusting the upper.

. said rolls will permit of a large variety ofrolls of each carrierbeing disposed approximate to the rolls of'the other carrier to formpasses for sorting, and means for adjusting one carrierrelative to theother. i

2. A sorting machine as called for in claim 1, wherein the upper rollcarrier is supported from the lower roll carrier by adjusting meansbetween said carriers.

A centrifugal sortingmaichine comprising a rotatable lower roll carrier,rolls in said carrier adapted to be driven when said carrier isrevolved,means for driving said carrier, an upper roll carrier, rolls in said.upper carrier adapted to be drivenfrom the rolls of the lower carrier,and means between said carriers for adjusting the upper carrier relativeto the lower carrier.

4;. A centrifugal sorting machine as called for in claim 3, wherein thelast mentioned means supports the upper roll carrier relative to thelower roll carrier.

In testimony whereof I alfi x my signature.

RUSSELL V. J UDSON.

